The person who suffers most in this world is the person who has many wrong perceptions, and most of our perceptions are erroneous.

Guarding knowledge is not a good way to understand. Understanding means to throw away your knowledge.

If you suffer and make your loved ones suffer, there is nothing that can justify your desire.

I have lost my smile,but don’t worry.The dandelion has it.

We know very well that we have ancestors. But our ancestors are not only human. We have animal ancestors; we have plant ancestors; and we have mineral ancestors. Our human ancestors are still very young....

If we practice walking meditation, we walk just for walking, not to arrive.

Mindful consumption is the object of this precept. We are what we consume. If we look deeply into the items that we consume every day, we will come to know our own nature very well....

The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for the truth to have a chance to penetrate, to reveal itself.

To stop the drug traffic is not the best way to prevent people from using drugs. The best way is to practice the Fifth Precept and to help others practice. Consuming mindfully is the intelligent...

Mindfulness is the awareness of what is going on in us and around us in the present moment. It requires stopping, looking deeply, and recognizing both the uniqueness of the moment and its connection to...

Without suffering, there’s no happiness. So we shouldn’t discriminate against the mud. We have to learn how to embrace and cradle our own suffering and the suffering of the world, with a lot of tenderness.

Suffering has many faces. If we discover the roots of one suffering, we are at the same time discovering the roots of others.

When we talk about the theology of ‘God is Dead,’ this means that the notion of God must be dead in order for God to reveal himself as a reality. The theologians, if they only...

What you are looking for is already in you…You already are everything you are seeking.

This is Buddhist meditation-to penetrate, to be one with, in order to really understand.

If you abandon your two glasses of wine, it is to show your children, your friends, and your society that your life is not only for yourself. Your life is for your ancestors, future generations,...

Those who are without compassion cannot see what is seen with the eyes of compassion.

Some people live as though they are already dead. There are people moving around us who are consumed by their past, terrified of their future, and stuck in their anger and jealousy. They are not...

Impermanence and selflessness are not negative aspect of life, but the very foundation on which life is built. Impermanence is the constant transformation of things. Without impermanence, there can be no life. Selflessness is the...

The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.

Compassion is a verb.

There is nowhere to arrive except the present moment.

Through my love for you, I want to express my love for the whole cosmos, the whole of humanity, and all beings. By living with you, I want to learn to love everyone and all...

The best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment.

In the light of Buddhist meditation, love is impossible without understanding.

When you feel overwhelmed, you’re trying too hard. That kind of energy does not help the other person and it does not help you. You should not be too eager to help right away. There...

We have negative mental habits that come up over and over again. One of the most significant negative habits we should be aware of is that of constantly allowing our mind to run off into...

But work is life only when done in mindfulness. otherwise, one becomes life the person “who lives as though dead.” We need to light our own torch in order to carry on. But the life...

If I don’t understand you, I may be angry at you, all the time. We are not capable of understanding each other, and that is the main source of human suffering.

The leaves that remain are only a very small part of the tea. The tea that goes into me is a much bigger part of the tea. It is the richest part.We are the same;...

Understanding and love aren’t two separate things, they’re just one.

If you have mindfulness, if you feel safe, you recognize that you have plenty of conditions to be happy already, and that you don’t need to run into the future in order to get a...

If you love someone but rarely make yourself available to him or her, that is not true love.

Khi đọc ‘Kiều’, nghe những đau khổ và chán chường như thế, ta không thấy dễ chịu trong lòng. Nhưng chúng ta đ u phải chỉ đi tìm sự dễ chịu. Chúng ta đi tìm...

That is why I don’t believe much in what Mr. Descartes said: “I think, therefore I am.” I think, therefore I’m lost in my thinking. I’m not there.

If you know how to be happy with the wonders of life that are already there for you to enjoy, you don’t need to stress your mind and your body by striving harder and harder,...

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.

Có một thi sĩ làm thơ hô hào những nhà sáng tác, những ca sĩ từ bỏ lối sáng tác và ca hát đau thương đứt ruột. Ông ta viết những c u này, tôi...

Fifteen years ago, a business manager from the United States came to Plum Village to visit me. His conscience was troubled because he was the head of a firm that designed atomic bombs. I listened...

We really have to understand the person we want to love. If our love is only a will to possess, it is not love. If we only think of ourselves, if we know only our...

Everyday we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child – our own two eyes. All is a miracle.

A real love letter is made of insight, understanding, and compassion. Otherwise it’s not a love letter. A true love letter can produce a transformation in the other person, and therefore in the world. But...

By eating meat we share the responsibility of climate change, the destruction of our forests, and the poisoning of our air and water. The simple act of becoming a vegetarian will make a difference in...

The Three Kinds of Pride are: (1) thinking I am better than the other(s); (2) thinking I am worse than the other(s); and (3) thinking I am just as good as the other(s).

Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and failure to listen, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening to relieve suffering and promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other...